Sun City West in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Sun City West sees average daytime highs around 65°F and overnight lows near 44°F, with 4.2 in of rain over about 11 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 65°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Sun City West's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Sun City West's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 65°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 44°F
- Rainfall
- 4.2 in
- 11 wet days
- Avg wind
- 6 mph
- Travel score
- 7.2
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Sun City West in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 65°F.
A typical winter day in Sun City West reaches about 65°F and drops to 44°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
How winter really feels in Sun City West
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 0 that feel at or below 32°F.
winter sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.
Sun City West weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65° / 43° | 1.4 | 3.6 | 10 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 68° / 46° | 1.6 | 4.4 | 10.7 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 74° / 51° | 1.1 | 3.1 | 11.7 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 82° / 57° | 0.3 | 1.3 | 12.8 | 7.8 |
| May | 91° / 66° | 0.1 | 0.7 | 13.7 | 4.8 |
| Jun | 100° / 75° | 0.1 | 0.3 | 14.2 | 1.4 |
| Jul | 103° / 82° | 0.7 | 3 | 14 | 0.3 |
| Aug | 101° / 81° | 0.9 | 3.9 | 13.2 | 0.8 |
| Sep | 96° / 74° | 0.8 | 3.1 | 12.2 | 2.7 |
| Oct | 86° / 62° | 0.7 | 2.1 | 11.2 | 6.6 |
| Nov | 73° / 51° | 0.8 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 8.5 |
| Dec | 64° / 43° | 1.2 | 3.4 | 9.8 | 6.9 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 56% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Sun City West gets around 4.2 in of rain over 11 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 6 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 54 min in early December to 11 h 12 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 3.6 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Sun City West?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is one of the better times to visit Sun City West for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Sun City West in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Sun City West sees daytime highs around 65°F and nights near 44°F. Worth packing: a warm layer. About 11 days see rain.
UV index in Sun City West in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Sun City West peaks around June 23 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 20 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 11 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 5 | Moderate |
| Mar | 4 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 9 | Very high |
| Jun | 11 | Extreme |
| Jul | 11 | Extreme |
| Aug | 11 | Extreme |
| Sep | 9 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Sun City West in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Sun City West is worst in June — around 17 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.9× the cleanest month (December, 9 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 9 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Moderate | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 11 | Good |
| Mar | 11 | Good |
| Apr | 12 | Moderate |
| May | 12 | Moderate |
| Jun | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 15 | Moderate |
| Aug | 12 | Good |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 13 | Moderate |
| Nov | 10 | Good |
| Dec | 9 | Good |
Where is Sun City West?
Sun City West sits at 33.7°N, 112.3°W, 1,234 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Surprise, 2.5 mi away.
Topography around Sun City West
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Sun City West.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Sun City West has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 164 ft around an average of 1,227 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,355 ft; within 50 miles, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 6,952 ft.
The land around Sun City West is covered by artificial surfaces (58%) within 2 miles, artificial surfaces (36%), bare terrain (25%) and shrubs (24%) within 10 miles, and shrubs (56%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Sun City West (33.662°, -112.3413°, elevation 1,234 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.